Bart Howard; wrote 'Fly Me to the Moon'

NEW YORK -- Bart Howard, a songwriter and pianist best known for his composition "Fly Me to the Moon," died Saturday from complications from a stroke in Carmel, N.Y. He was 88.

Born in Burlington, Iowa, Mr. Howard moved to Los Angeles in 1934 with dreams of writing music for movies. He later relocated to New York, where singer Mabel Mercer added his song "If You Leave Paris" to her repertoire.

From 1941 to 1945, he served as a musician in the Army.

"Fly Me to the Moon" -- also known as "In Other Words" -- first gained fame in 1960, when Peggy Lee sang it on "The Ed Sullivan Show."

Two years later, it was a hit in instrumental form for conductor Joe Harnell.

Other well-known songs written by Mr. Howard included "Let Me Love You" and "Don't Dream of Anybody but Me."

Mr. Howard was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1999.